The Antonine Wall

Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Antonine Wall was the north-west frontier of the Roman Empire. Built on the orders of the Emperor Antoninus Pius in the years following AD 140, it ran for 40 Roman miles (60 km) from modern Bo’ness on the Firth of Forth to Old Kilpatrick on the River Clyde.

The Antonine Wall was both a physical barrier and a symbol of the Roman Empire’s power and control. It was never a stone wall, but consisted of a turf rampart fronted by a wide and deep ditch. Forts and fortlets provided accommodation for the troops stationed on the frontier and acted as secure crossing points to control movement north and south. Behind the rampart, all the forts were liked by a road known as the Military Way. The wall was the most northerly frontier of the empire and, when it was built, was the most complex frontier ever constructed by the Roman army. It was the last of the linear frontiers to be built by the Romans and was only occupied for about a generation before being abandoned in the AD 160s.

The line of the wall crosses five modern local authorities (East Dunbartonshire, Falkirk, Glasgow, North Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire) and there are a number of sites and museums in each of these areas.

Inscription and Significance

The Antonine Wall was inscribed by UNESCO in 2008 becoming part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site, along with Hadrian’s Wall (inscribed in 1987) and the German Limes (inscribed in 2005).

The Outstanding Universal Value of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire lies in the survival of the second century Roman frontier system across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, reflecting the development and breadth of Roman military architecture and power. The Antonine Wall incorporated many technical and design elements not seen in earlier frontiers, represented a physical manifestation of a change in Roman imperial foreign policy, and illustrates the technological skill of the army in frontier areas.

Location

The Antonine Wall runs across central Scotland, from Old Kilpatrick in the West to Bo’Ness in the East.

Managing the Site

The Site is managed and cared for by East Dunbartonshire Council, Falkirk Council, Glasgow City Council, Historic Scotland, North Lanarkshire Council and West Dunbartonshire Council. The Site Management Plan 2014-19 guides sustainable management to maintain the Outstanding Universal Value. It was produced following a series of public workshops, the preparation of an Environmental Report, and a formal consultation period, the report on which is available here.

Supplementary Planning Guidance has been produced and adopted by all five of the local authorities. There is also an Interpretation Plan and Access Strategy.

Visiting the Site

Nearly 8 km of the Wall is in the care of Historic Scotland, including the best surviving stretch of ditch at Watling Lodge, Falkirk; the earthworks of the fort together with the rampart ditch and Military Way at Rough Castle, Bonnybridge; the rampart and ditch in Seabegs Wood, Bonnybridge; the ditch and expansions on Croy Hill; the fort on Bar Hill, Twechar; and the bath-house and latrine at Bearsden.